Pentecost XVII (Lord's Supper) (16-Sep-2018)

This sermon was preached at St Matthew's Lutheran Church, Maryborough, 8.15am, and Grace Lutheran Church, Childers, 10.30am.

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Take and eat; this is My Body, which is given for you. Drink of it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Today we have the joy of welcoming some young people in our parish to receive the Lord’s Supper for the first time. So I thought it would be a good idea to give a sermon today about the Lord’s Supper.

So for our sermon today, I’m going to base it on the four main questions in Luther’s Small Catechism, where he writes: What is the Sacrament of the Altar? What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? Who receives this sacrament worthily? I’m going to take this from Luther, not because I want to preach on the words of a man, but because this is not just Luther’s words, but it is our confession of faith as Lutherans. We believe that what Luther says here is a true summary of what the bible says on the matter.

But first, how do we know anything at all about the Lord’s Supper? We read in the Gospels, and in 1 Corinthians 11 that our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them and said, “Drink of it all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”

Do these words sounds familiar? They should—because I recite them every Sunday during the communion service. On one hand, we call them the words of institution—they are the words which teach us and tell us what happened, and how Jesus set the Lord’s Supper up, and what it was all about. On the other hand, we call them the words of consecration—we recite the words over the bread and wine, in order that Christ’s body and blood should now enter into this place in this particular bread and this particular wine, so that they become his body and blood, so that we can eat and drink them.

But almost everything we know about the Lord’s Supper, comes back to these words. It is the foundational passage. And so, everything that we believe about the Lord’s Supper comes back to this passage.

So let’s look at Luther’s first question and his first answer.

What is the Sacrament of the Altar? Answer: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.

Luther writes a really great summary of things here. And it’s a very helpful thing to go through each of these words, and ask the question: what difference does it make if I change them? So it says: It is the true body and blood. What if I change the word “is” and instead make it “represents” or “symbolises”? Well, it means that it’s not really the body and blood anymore, it’s just a picture, or a representation. The Australian flag might represent Australia, but the flag isn’t the same thing as the country. When we see a picture of a kangaroo, we might think that it symbolises Australia, but it’s not actually the same thing as Australia. So, why is it that we believe that the Lord’s Supper “is” the body and blood of Christ? Because Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed…said, “Take and eat, this is my body.”

Now Luther writes: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. So why does he say “true”? What if I change the word “true” and instead make it “fake”? You might remember in the Nicene Creed in church on Sundays, where we say about Jesus: God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God. This also comes up in the Christmas carol, “O Come, All Ye Faithful”: God of God, Light of Light, Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb: Very God, begotten not created. So why do we say that Jesus is true God, or very God? The reason is that there are people around, both in the early times and also today, who don’t believe that Jesus really God at all. They believe that he might be the next best thing, or almost God, or close enough, but not actually God—so it’s important to say it. So also, Luther makes an extra special point to say that the Lord’s Supper is the true body and blood of Christ. It’s so say: At the Last Supper, Jesus says: This is my body, and he meant exactly what he said, not represents, not symbolises, but “is”.

Luther says: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. What if we change the words “body and blood” and instead say that it is the fingernail, or the arm, or the leg, of Jesus Christ? Jesus doesn’t say this is my arm, or my fingernail, or my leg, but he says, “This is my body”, “This is my blood”. Now, I’m not trying to be disrespectful or sacrilegious by putting it like this. But some people think that when we Lutherans says that the Lord’s Supper is the body and blood of Christ, that we’re a bit like cannibals, as if we’re eating a piece or a chunk of Jesus body. And this is a pretty disgusting thing to think about.

Jesus gives us his body and blood in a completely supernatural way that is completely beyond our understanding and comprehension. When we speak these words of consecration, Jesus enters into this place in a completely amazing way. Remember that when Jesus rose from the dead, his body had to pass through rock. They didn’t empty the tomb to let him out, he was already out. They rolled away the stone so that they could see that he wasn’t there. Also, Jesus walked on water. He entered through closed doors to visit his disciples. Something like this happens in the Lord’s Supper too.

But also, this is not the dead flesh and dead blood of a dead Jesus. This is the living body and blood of our living Lord, who is risen from the dead, which brings life. There’s not a single speck of death and decay in Jesus—only life.

Now, back to our quote from Luther, where he writes: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine. Now what if we change the words “bread and wine” to something else, like “coke and chips”? Does it make any difference? It makes a difference because on the night he was betrayed, Jesus didn’t take coke and chips, he took bread and wine, and so if we want to receive his body and blood, we should use the things that he chose to use.

So, this first question of Luther in the Small Catechism talks about what the Lord’s Supper is. And this is such an important question, because “is” means “is”. These are the words that our Lord Jesus spoke on the night when he was betrayed. He gathered his twelve disciples together to farewell them before he was going to the cross—it’s like him giving his disciples his last will and testament. If you were writing your will, you’d want things to be carried out exactly as you wanted it, wouldn’t it? The same with Jesus.

Now, we come Luther’s second question and answer. What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? Answer: These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

This is a real comfort for us. It’s not enough for us to simply say that the Lord’s Supper is Christ’s body and blood. That doesn’t give us any comfort yet. Because Christ’s body and blood are completely and totally holy and sinless and perfect. And our bodies and hearts and minds are completely and totally unholy and sinful and imperfect. So we’ve got a problem. How is it going to be solved? Is the body and blood of Christ going to destroy us? Well, Christ does have that power, but he doesn’t say that. He says: This is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus wants to connect his body and blood to his forgiveness, and he wants us to trust in that word of forgiveness.

Now it’s so important for us to teach this, because this is the reason why we should come. If we didn’t know that this body and blood were for the forgiveness of sins we wouldn’t want to come. We would say: why would I want that? What use is it to me?

For example, I once a met a Catholic priest who told me that when he trains young people for first communion, he teaches them the difference between ordinary bread which is not consecrated, and consecrated bread which is the body of Christ. Now, he’s not wrong in teaching this. Bread that we eat at home is just bread, but when we come to eat the bread in the Lord’s Supper, this is the body of Christ. But this isn’t enough. We need also to tell people why Jesus wanted to give people his body and blood. It’s for you, and it’s for the forgiveness of sins.

If all we do is say, “This is the body and blood of Christ”, but without telling them about the forgiveness which is connected to it, then nobody will want to come. Instead, we’ll just have to force them, and make up rules to make them come. And in church history, this is exactly what happened in the year 1215 in the mediaeval church. The church said that if you don’t come to the Lord’s Supper at least twice a year, we won’t give you a Christian funeral! And so, what did this achieve? A whole lot of Christians who only came to church at Christmas and Easter, but then when they came, they came like a bunch of cows to the trough not knowing what they were doing. So this is why it’s so important for us to say: This is my body given for you. This is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

So Luther writes: These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins”, show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. Now where does Luther get this idea: “Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation”?

In 1 Corinthians 11, St Paul says: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Paul here mentions that there is unworthy way in which we can eat the body and blood of the Lord. Now: let’s get something right here. Nobody is worthy to receive the Lord’s Supper, because we’re all sinners. But Jesus allows us to receive the Lord’s Supper in a worthy way. Jesus lets unworthy people receive these gifts in a worthy manner. And there is also an unworthy manner, which we need to be careful of.

So St Paul goes on: Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. He says: Let a person examine himself. In other words, don’t just come and eat like a bunch of animals at feeding time at the zoo. Come, examining yourself. If Jesus gives you this for the forgiveness of sins, then you should realise that you are a sinner who sins every day, and needs help, and who needs this Supper. Also, Paul says if you eat and drink without discerning the body [you] eat and drink judgment on [yourself]. So, we learn from this passage, that if we don’t recognise that this bread and wine is the body and blood of Christ, then we eat and drink a judgment on ourselves. And Paul teaches us to examine ourselves: to recognise our sin. This is why we have the confession of sins in every service, to prepare ourselves for the Lord’s Supper.

So, how does a person receive the sacrament in a worthy manner? By discerning the body, by recognising the presence of Christ’s body and blood in the supper, and examining ourselves, recognising our sin, and that this supper is for the forgiveness of sins. We’ll talk about this a little bit later.

But remember Luther said: Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

Back to 1 Corinthians. Paul says about people who received the sacrament unworthily: That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. Paul is saying to these Corinthian Christians that they even became weak, and ill and died, because they ate and drank unworthily.

So if Paul says that eating and drinking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner brings judgment, weakness, illness, and death, what do you think that receiving the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner brings? Instead of judgment, salvation and forgiveness, instead of weakness strength, instead of illness health and healing, and instead of death, life. In other words, as Luther says, forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. So when we come to the Lord’s Supper, we bring Jesus our sins, we bring him our weaknesses, our illnesses, our dying bodies, and let him give us his forgiveness, and whatever other gift he wants as it benefits his kingdom. This is why when a Christian is burdened by the sins and fears judgment and condemnation, where do we send them? To the Lord’s Supper. When Christians are suffering and weak, where do we send them? To the Lord’s Supper. And when Christians are ill or dying, we have a long tradition in the church of bringing people the Lord’s Supper in their homes or in hospital.

When God forgives you, he doesn’t just forgive you, but he opens the door to his house, he opens the door to heaven. Just imagine if you have a friend, but then you have a fight. When you forgive them, then you let them in your house again and enjoy your company and your friendship and your things. So also, where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. God opens up the doors to his house, and lets you come in and enjoy his presence and his company and his gifts.

Let’s come to Luther’s third question, where he says: How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? Answer: Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: “forgiveness of sins.”

Here, Luther wants to reiterate just how important the promise of the forgives of sins is. We don’t come to the Lord’s Supper, like we’re eating dinner at home without thinking about it. We come to the Lord’s Supper, trusting that this is Christ’s body and blood and that it is given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. We don’t get forgiveness just by eating and drinking, but we receive it by faith, trusting in the living words of Jesus. If we trust the words of Jesus, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins, then the forgiveness is ours.

Luther’s last question is: Who receives this sacrament worthily? Answer: Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words “for you” require all hearts to believe.

Now, we’ve already talked about this a little bit. But this is a big issue in some parts of the world. For example, in churches where people think they are saved by works, they can often think that they only become worthy to come to the Lord’s Supper by doing some work. No: we’re saved by faith, and so it’s Christ’s words that make us worthy to come to the Lord’s Supper, not our works.

Luther writes: Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. Now there’s an old tradition where many people skipped breakfast and fasted on Sunday morning, so that the first thing that they would eat for the day and for the week was the body and blood of Christ. And this is a nice tradition, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Also, Luther talks about bodily preparation. People might put on their Sunday clothes, and comb their hair, and make themselves look nice. That’s all good. Luther says that this is all fine outward training. But none of this makes us worthy of the Lord’s Supper. We can do these things, it’s all good—but it’s up to you. Luther writes: But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Now there are many more things we could say about the Lord’s Supper, but we’ll save them for another day.

As we come to the Lord’s Supper today, let’s confess with our mouths and hearts that this supper is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s examine ourselves and recognise our sin, and trust that in this supper, Christ promises to us the forgiveness of sins. Let’s bring to him our sins, our worries, our anxieties, our weakness, our illnesses, and even prepare for our deaths, and receive from Jesus this wonderful food for the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. We have nothing in ourselves that makes us worthy to eat and drink this supper. We are completely unworthy of it. But through faith, we trust that this body and blood of Christ is for us and for the forgiveness of sins. Amen.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the wonderful gift of the Lord’s Supper, the wonderful gift of your body and blood given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. Send us the Holy Spirit so that we may learn to be in awe of this wonderful miracle that you constantly perform in our church. Amen.